Letters & Snow Days
by twiniitowers
Summary: Eric loves someone he can't have...or can he? Please Read and Review. Thanks.
1. Letters

_**Letters & Snow Days**_

**A little short, sweet slashlet – Eric/Hyde**

**Point Place, WI**

_Dear Hyde, (crossed out once with black Sharpie and replaced with) Steven,_

_I am a coward and I know it. There was a reason for everything I did and first I feel two things. 1. I'm being completely _

_honest with you and 2. I know I am messing up what is good and right between you and Jackie. I guess Red was right _

_all these years; I am a dumbass. I just couldn't go through with marrying Donna. I feel bad that I hurt her. She's a _

_great friend, and after I write this letter to you, I'm going to send her a letter as well. I mean we are raised to be a _

_certain way and if you don't mesh with societies standards, you get put into all of these little boxes that make the _

_other person feel better. Plus, I was stubborn, I had to beat Red at his games, but I was hurting Donna in the process. _

_I am a prick. This is difficult to write and if it weren't for the fact that I am in Africa I don't_ _think I'd have the courage _

_to mail this to you at all. But, I am a gay man. You don't know how good it feels even if it is just written and not the _

_spoken word to have admitted that to my best friend. I knew when I was 12. Red kept pushing and prodding me to be _

_what he deemed to be a man. I'm telling Donna in another letter and yes, I am telling the folks. I am also never _

_returning to Point Place again. Because I cannot continue to live this lie. I'm getting money for my education and I'll go _

_to college to get my teaching degree. I'll find some roommates and live off-campus. But, I just_ _wanted to_ _say goodbye _

_to you, you taught me to stand up for what I believe in, even if I didn't always listen, you introduced me to great _

_music and some other great "stuff". I'll miss_ _everyone, even Jackie, but don't tell her that, because I know she'll hate _

_me for ruining her happiness with you._

_I hope you'll never forget me, I'll never forget you,_

_-Eric_

_

* * *

_

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I don't know how you 2 are going to take this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. __I'm gay and I have known this _

_since I was 12. I'll save the trouble and do what I'm good __at, I'm bailing. Maybe, someday, I'll contact you again, but I _

_already know I'll be __disowned for wanting to be who I really am. I'll always love the both of you._

_-Eric_

_

* * *

_

_Dear Donna,_

_You get the complete letter and I hope you will keep what I am about tell you in the strictest of confidences. First, I _

_am sorry for all the hurt I have caused you, if I was only honest with you from the moment you kissed me after the _

_Todd Rundgren concert, none of this would have happened. As you will get confirmed by Steven and Mom/Dad's_

_letters_, _I am gay. I miss our friendship before the romance ruined it. I'm never contacting anyone again; I'm saying _

_my goodbye's here. I'll be going to school and live off-campus in a place nowhere near Wisconsin. The part that is for _

_your eyes only, and please keep this_ _promise, there are 2 reasons why I cannot see all of you ever again. 1. I don't _

_want to deal with my parents, lets face it, Mom will think I'm sinning and send me the nearest church, Dad will put his _

_foot in my ass and disown me to my face and 2. I'm in love with Steven. I know he can't return that kind of love and it _

_hurts. But I want him to be happy with Jackie. I don't want to break her heart in the process. Donna you gave me the _

_confidence_ _that I have now, but I don't have enough guts to tell Red that his only son is gay. And in love with Steven. _

_I can't risk it. I've done enough harm. I enjoy working with children and I think I'll be a good teacher. I wish life was _

_different and I hope you find a man who will love you and treat you like you deserve to be treated._

_Always,_

_-Eric_

_

* * *

_

**Letters delivered**

Donna sat at the water tower after midnight. Wow. She didn't see that coming, but it certainly explained a lot of

Eric's behavior. He was gay. And he loved Hyde and he didn't want her to tell him which was going to be hard to

do as Donna saw him climb up the water tower. She offered him a beer.

"Did you get a letter from Eric today?" Donna asked

Hyde opened the can of beer. "Yeah. How are you feeling?"

Anything that deflected the attention from him. He crossed out Hyde and wrote Steven and said he was going to

mess up his relationship with Jackie. _It was him. Forman liked __him._

"Shocked, but at the same time, I should've seen the signs."

"He wanted to be the perfect boyfriend for you."

"How are Red and Kitty?" Donna didn't want to go over there.

"Mrs. Forman laughed it off and went upstairs to pray for him and Mr. Forman, you know, he never said anything

good or bad…."

"I could wring his scrawny neck for cutting us out of his life!"

"He thinks it's for the best."

"Hyde, I know I was supposed to keep this a secret, but…"

"How could he possibly think it was a secret for crossing out Hyde with Steven and saying he was going to cause

my relationship to be over with Jackie?"

"You love him back, don't you? You'd never be so forthcoming and not after 1 beer."

"I had 2 before I got here. _And yes, I do love Forman_."

"He's not coming back here, so what are you going to do, Hyde? What about Jackie?"

"I already told Jackie…she's going to need you. She called me a fucking queer jerk and kicked me in the shins. As

for Forman? I don't know," Hyde let Donna put her arm around him for comfort, "I don't know."

**Author's Note: Thanks to Marla's Lost for encouraging me to put both of the finished E/H stories that**

**have been sitting inside my computer. ****so look for them before the holidays. This one's first. **


	2. Snow Day

**Snow Day**

**Pittsburgh, PA**

It was a snow day and Eric Forman breathed a sigh of relief, as he was able to turn off his digital alarm clock

completely. He didn't have to report to work today, of course, if they didn't meet the 180 required days then

they'd be tacked on and summer vacation would be delayed, but this was only the 2nd snow day of the season.

He nuzzled into his down comforter and hugged the pillow. He wished he wasn't alone in his bed, but he had his

reasons. He missed his friends and family, but he had his reasons. It was 1982 and he did think maybe he

should at least check in with his Mother, but he always resisted it. There was one person he really missed, one

person he wanted to face more than anything in this world. He wondered if he was still in Point Place or if he got

out? He never got to proclaim his love like in some stupid unrealistic movie. He told Donna not to tell in his last

letter to her and he would have no reason to believe that she would betray his confidences there was too much

on the line. He missed him so much, the jokes they would play on each other, the circle for obvious reasons, but

the district tested every 6 months, and it wasn't something he could have done anymore. He missed those rare

occasions when he would bare his soul, but they were just memories now and he hasn't seen anyone from his

home town since 1979 when he left for Africa to get money to for his college education. All of a sudden being in

his warm bed was not appealing anymore. He walked to his small kitchen area and forgot to put the coffeemaker

on again; he flipped the switch and decided to take a shower. A quick shower and a sad breakfast for one, a

piece of toast with butter and strawberry jam and a cup of coffee (cream, 2 sugars) and he wasn't quite looking

forward to finding where the paperboy put the newspaper, or if there was even a newspaper. Eric put his cup

and plate into the sink, that already had something in it, 1 fork from last night (he couldn't use the chopsticks)

when he ordered Chinese and his _Star Wars_ tumbler when he had a cup of chocolate milk before bed.

He supposed he had to tackle shoveling the snow, it was better than paying some snot-nosed teenager to do it.

It wasn't that long ago when he was an adolescent. There were some things that reminded him of home; he still

had his thick blue turtleneck sweater, a gift from Kitty from a Christmas long gone, wearing this he didn't need to

put on his jacket, just his insulated gloves, a striped scarf, a gift from Donna, and his winter boots. He hated this.

He wanted to be sitting around a fireplace with the person he loved the most, sipping cocoa and what he

wouldn't give for a homemade chocolate chip cookie. He missed everyone, and yet he knew, how many people

would be supportive of how he wanted to live his life. Maybe, Donna, but that would have been it. And what was

his life, he worked as a teacher and came home. He didn't like the bar scene, straight or gay, that's not where he

wanted to be. He would pass his time by building his _Star Wars_ models with minor defects in them and resenting

each one more than the next. There was no boyfriend, because he only wanted to be with 1 person. God only

knows how he took the news, he probably hated his guts, he never said anything totally bad about gay people,

but it's one thing to be "cool", yet, it's a whole other ball of wax to accept another guys advances if you don't

feel that way. He wondered if Hyde married Jackie? Were they living the happy suburban life with 2.0 kids, while

he begrudgingly gives into being a corporate hack? He pushed the shovel down the front path and found his

newspaper, wrapped in orange plastic casing by his car, a standard boring little Toyota. It was red though. He

picked up the newspaper and threw it on the porch. Eric wanted to finish the shoveling as quickly as possible it

was too cold out here to even think, the air smelled fresh and clean, the only good thing to come out of a storm.

The tree branches were all snow-capped. He almost did a double take when he turned around to see a familiar

figure leaning against his car. Surely, he was dreaming. Shovel in hand; he walked through his yard, getting into

the deeper snow. This wasn't happening.

"This isn't happening." Eric said out loud.

"Hi, Forman."

Eric wanted to run into his arms and lavish him with kisses, instead all he could do was wonder, you think he

wouldn't wear his sunglasses all the time.

_It was winter!_

"Hi, Hyde." He said it in the same matter-of-fact tone, "How did you know where I live?"

"Can we go inside man?"

"Uh, sure."

Eric propped the shovel in the entry way on an old towel that he put there so there'd be no puddles on the floor

and took off his boots and threw them in an empty box by the door.

"Would you like some coffee?" Eric took off his scarf and gloves and threw them on the sofa as he directed Hyde

to the kitchen.

"Not yet." Hyde sat down.

"Are you mad at me?"

"I should be, but I'm not."

"I just would have been hassled…which reminds me how are the folks?"

"They're all right. They're not bad people, Forman, they just come from a different generation. You really hurt

them by not giving them a chance to accept things and not contacting them _for years_."

Eric gave Hyde a cup of coffee anyway.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me that. You didn't give _anyone_ a chance to accept things."

Eric decided now was the time to wash the dishes. "I assume you and Jackie are together?"

Hyde took his glasses off and stood up. Sometimes his best friend could be the most annoying person on the

planet. He put his hands on Eric's shoulders and kissed his neck, turning him around so he would have to face

him.

"_I have always loved you."_

Eric tried so hard not to cry; "You figured it out from my letter?"

Hyde laughed. "Einstein, You crossed out Hyde and wrote Steven…. and revealed your sexuality to me…and

Donna confirmed what you told her in her letter."

"I love you too, Steven, and it's come to my attention that we are doing too much talking."

They went in for the best kiss of Eric Forman's life. It was his first kiss with a guy and the only person he wanted

to be with.

Eric held his hand and led him to his bedroom; all of the questions would be answered, if Hyde was going to

move here, or if Eric was going to quit his job and transfer wherever Hyde called home these days. Would he

accompany him to Point Place to see Red and Kitty in the hope that the both of them would be happy for them.

Was there even going to be _a them?_ Eric didn't want this to be just one snow day/night filled romp.

"What's wrong?" Hyde asked

"What's going to happen next? I've wanted to be with you for so long, but if this is just -"

"Eric fucking Forman, do you think I came here just to give you a quick fuck and then go back to Seattle?"

Seattle.

Okay that mystery was solved.

"Well, I don't know what to think," Eric held his hands, "What do you do in Seattle?"

"Wasn't it just you who said we were doing too much talking, not five minutes ago?"

Eric laughed, "Love me, love my eccentricities."

"I don't know what the future holds, but I want to be with you or I wouldn't be here. Oh and I'm a

photographer."

"That's cool."

"Now Eric I have waited about one million years to fuck you senseless, so you really need to stop talking now…."

Hyde gently pushed him on the bed.

Eric Forman thought this was the best snow day ever after all; it was the first night in 2 and a half years that he

would not be sleeping alone, and he'd be with the man he loved the most in this world. Life couldn't get any

better.

**The End**

**Happy Holidays!**

**p.s. this story got a lot of hits and some reviews, if the interest is there maybe I can make it more than a two shot. Let me know by reviewing. **


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